Reclamation
by LoveTheMisunderstood
Summary: Severus Snape lives, Lavender Brown marries Ron but is stricken with lycanthropy which leaves her infertile. Hermione Is a Professor at Hogwarts. How will it all play out?
1. Prologue

The golden trio stood on the front steps of the castle overlooking the distruction that was left after the war. Harry Potter, the boy who was famous for surviving the killing curse as a baby stood next to his two best friends, Ron who stood tall, with his trademark Weasley red hair and Hermione, the brains of the bunch who had brown curly hair with brown eyes. The three friends had fought Voldemort every year since their first year when they found Voldemort trying to overtake Professor Quirrels body in order to steal the Philosophers stone. Harry looked back at his best friends who were surveying the scene with different looks of devastation. Hermione clearly had tears in her eyes as she tried to hold herself together, Harry could almost see the names of the lost run through her mind just by watching the emotions run across her facial features. Ron was more of the brooding type, so he just stared blankly at the destruction but anyone who knew him could tell just how broken he was. Harry returned his attention towards the devestation and took a step forward, they had decided that they would return to the body of Severus Snape in order to bring his body back to the rest of the dead. They knew they had a fight to fight in order to change the minds of everyone who didn't know the true intentions of the dour potions master.

Upon entering the shrieking shack they could smell the mustiness that was normal for the crumbling building, but this time the smell was slightly different, with the addition of the stench of blood. When Professor Snape was killed, he had lost a lot of blood that extruded out of the wound in his neck. Harry entered the room first where the body of Severus Snape lay, his skin paler then usual, his eyes unmoving and his body slumped over to his left. Harry could hear a gasp as Hermione entered the room, looking back at her he could see that she had placed her right hand over her mouth as if to cover the look of pain that overtook her expression. Ron grimaced as he looked over the body and then returned his eyes at Harry, Harry knew that he didn't understand why they were doing what they were planning, the man had been quite rough on them during their years in Hogwarts, but Harry remembered the many times his life was saved thanks to the man that lay just a few feet away. Returning his eyes to Hermione, he could see that she had moved to the side of Snape, she was attempting to clean the blood off of his neck. She had tears running down her flush cheeks as she moved his long black hair out of his face and tried to make him appear presentable. After she was finished she rose back to her feet and looked back at the two men who were watching her. She stood in front of Harry in order to discuss what their next step was in their plan to change the wizarding worlds perception of the man behind her.

"What should we do next Harry?" Hermione sniffed, looking up into the green eyes of her friend "We can't just leave him here, he deserves the same treatment as everyone else who fought and died in this war"

"I must insist that you stop your sniffling Ms. Granger" The baritone voice came from behind the brown haired witch, which made her immediately turn to focus on the man who they had previously thought to be dead. He sat there, looking at the golden trio with a look of annoyance. Hermione rushed to the side of their professor in her shock.

"Sir! We thought you were dead!" Hermione exclaimed "We saw you die!?"

Snape grimaced, a look of distaste crossed his facial features as the young woman catered to him. He then placed up his hand to motion that she should step back from him. "Please Ms Granger, you obviously don't know who you are talking to." He then made the motion to stand up, which lead to Hermione rushing back to his side to help him up.

"Sir, we should really get you to the hospital wing!" Hermione gushed as she stood at the side of the now upright professor who just gave her the typical glare that he had on his face when he was interacting with students.

"Ms. Granger, I do not wish to take up the time of Pomfrey when I do not need assistance." He looked over towards the others in the room, Harry was watching him in astonishment whereas Ron was unable to make eye contact with him. "If you would excuse me, my duty here is done and I think its time for my retirement."

"But sir-" Before Harry could get his sentence out Snape had apparated out of the shrieking shack, leaving the golden trio in shock.

The golden trio had returned back to the castle and informed Professor McGonnagal about what had happened at the shrieking shack with Professor Snape. They spent the better part of two years searching for the late Professor, but had no luck in finding him. Each member of the trio dealt with the loss of the dour professor in their own ways, Ron was the first to give up and move on, working towards a career as an auror. Harry lasted a little while longer before he eventually followed Rons path, but Hermione, being the stubborn witch she was, never truly gave up even as she took a spot in the university to finish her schooling.

When Ron walked into his office at the ministry of magic he noticed the large stack of paperwork that he still hadn't started on and it was due by the end of the day. He ran his fingers through his bright red hair as he approached his desk. It had been 7 years since the battle of hogwarts that ended the 2nd wizarding war and he, along with Harry Potter, worked as Aurers. They loved their jobs when they were out on the scene but when it came to the paperwork they hated it. Ron sat down in his chair and with a final sigh of resignation he decided to start on the paperwork. After a few moments he looked up, a glittering picture frame catching his eye and his attention was quickly brought to a picture of Lavender, whom he had married 2 years after the war. He was especially thankful for her miraculus recovery after being bitten by that werewolf greyback, although it did leave her with lasting effects much like the late Remus Lupin. Ron returned his eyes back to his paperwork and picked up his quil as he looked at the paper he had been working on and returned to work, he had to get this done in order to make it in time for dinner tonight otherwise Lavender would be upset if he were to be late again.

2 hours later

Ron ran his hands over his face after he put the last paper down. He was finally done and is now able to make his way towards home, where he knew a delicious dinner would be prepared for him. Ron stood up, causing his chair to make a scraping sound as it scooted across the floor. He grabbed his coat and headed out the door towards the floo points. He was slowly approaching the point where he was able to leave work and enter into his warmth filled home, when he heard his name being called. Looking behind him he noticed Harry Potter walking towards him, he stopped to allow his best friend to catch up to him before he started making his way towards the floo points once again.

"Hey Harry. How was your day?" Ron glanced at his best friend.

Harry shrugged and walked at Rons side "Same old, lots of paperwork. I wish we could just do all the fun things and someone else do the paperwork. Makes me kind of miss the ol' Hogwarts days when 'Mione used to write our papers for us when we would slack" a slight chuckle made its way out of the black haired wizards mouth, but nastalgia and a hint of pain were written across his features, both of which Ron was all too familiar with. They both missed their days back in Hogwarts, but they had also lost so many people back then.

Ron laughed and nodded. They both stopped walking as they had finally reached their parting point, Ron leaving to return to Lavender and Harry to Ginny.

"I will see you tomorrow"

Harry nodded as he threw a handful of floo powder into the large fireplace stating Potter Residence before disappearing in a rush of green flames.

Hermione looked at her watch and realized that it was much too late to be at the office, but she knew that if she didn't get this work done, than she would be behind at the beginning of the year, and being the bookworm she was she couldn't have that! Running a hand through her thick, curly hair she looked back at the papers on her desk. She sat in a darkened room, the only light coming from the burning fire in the fireplace. When Hermione left Hogwarts she decided that she couldn't truly leave the place where she grew to be the witch she was today, so when McGonnagal sent her an owl requesting her to become their new transfigiuration professor she couldn't just turn it down. The memory of her walking back through the front gates of Hogwarts brought a smile to the young witches lips, the feeling like being home finally and being able to teach the next generation of witches and wizards was truly overwhelming. She remembered the first time that she saw the first years walking in the front doors of the great halls to be sorted, the look of amazement on their faces, their looks remindered her of the looks that surrounded her the first time she herself walked through those doors and saw the enchanted ceiling and the staff table ahead. Her eyes glanced towards the picture frame that held a picture of her and her two best friends during one of their years at the school and a single happy tear rolled down her cheek, she couldn't believe at how much they have changed since they first started at the school. She released a yawn, allowing her eye lids to fall closed for a second before she rose from her seat, deciding her paperwork could wait until another day, she did after all have another month until the next school year started. She knew that she needed to get some sleep, Minerva did request that she be up early for their interviews for the new potions master.

She trugged sleepily towards the door that would lead towards her bedroom, opening the door she smiled as she saw the burgandy red that washed over the bed and the windows, reminding her of her time in the gryffindor dorms. She reached her dresser where she found her clothes for the night and slipped into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. Once she emerged from the bathroom she slipped inbetween the burgandy sheets and curled up to read her book that she had been trying to get through, but was struggling to read through the yawns that were hitting her harder by the minute. She placed the brown bookmark back into the book, placed her book back on her night stand and rolled over to welcome sleep, but right as she was about to set sail the face of the dour professor she hadn't seen for 4 years popped up behind her closed eyelids, this would have given her a sleepless night, like so many before, had she not already been so far gone into sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

Ron lay in bed, his eyes surveying the ceiling that he had been staring at for the past hour. It had been an hour since Lavender had gotten up and left, they had yet again gotten into a fight about kids. He knew that she wasn't able to have kids because of her condition, but that didn't stop him from wanting them. He knew he was being insensitive, much like he had always been, but he struggled giving up that dream when he knew that there were other ways to bring children into their lives, however Lavender didn't want to think about the other options, she would rather not have any kids. Rons eyes were glazed with tears, he had always dreamed of living in a house with a lot of kids running around, teaching his kids to ride a bike, watching them get chosen for their first wand and taking them to platform 9 3/4 for their first year at Hogwarts. He just didn't know if he could stay in a child less relationship. His brothers and sister were sympathetic and thought that their own children would bring him happiness and be able to fill that hole that he had, but it only made it worse. It was a reminder of what he wasn't able to have. Lavender and he had thought they wouldn't have to give up that dream since Remus Lupin and Tonks were able to have baby Teddy, but because Lavender, the female and child berrer, had the condition it just wasn't possible. She had gotten pregnant once, and it ended in tragedy the first full moon. Ron shuddered at that memory and the tears began falling as he rolled over, pushing his face into the pillows as the tears began turning into sobs. He couldn't give up this desire to have children, to share the love that he so desperately needed to share with a child of his own.

Lavender stood outside of her home and looked up at the stars, watching as a shooting star crossed the sky and she closed her brown eyes. She knew that she needed to come with an agreement with Ron, she knew that he needed a little child to love on because that had always been his dreams, but she struggled with the idea of not being able to bond with a child that wasn't created with the love of her and Ron. She didn't want to bring a child into a home where there was arguing, there was resentment and there was sadness. She wanted a happy home for a child, and she didn't know if she could provide that, because she was so sad that she couldn't provide a child of their own, that she felt like a failure to her husband, his family and to herself. She took in a shakey breath as she opened her teary eyes to look back at the stars, where she thought of Remus Lupin, wishing that he was there to give her advice on this struggle she knew he had always been wise. She took a step off her porch, she knew she had to return to the house, to finish the conversation with Ron but she knew she needed to walk off her feelings so that they could have a rational conversation, rather than one soley based on emotions and feelings.

On their wedding day, she could remember the tears Molly Weasley shed as she welcomed a new daughter into her family, she knew how much she loved her grandkids and it wasn't a secret that it was expected of her to bring more grandchildren for Mrs. Weasley to love on. Lavender took in a shuddering breath, as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Flashbacks flashed through her mind of what it was like to be attacked by Greyback, the anger flowing through her veins at the thought. That terrible creature stole the one dream she had for her life, the dream of becoming a mother. He was the reason her husband had a hard time looking at her these days, the reason the fought more than not. She kicked the side of a trashcan, leaving behind a loud clang in the darkness as she kept walking down the street. She remembered trying to get pregnant, the months that it took until finally she found out that they would be expecting. She remembered the happiness that shown on her husbands face when he realized that he would finally be a father. Lavender collapsed down on a bench that looked over the lake at the park down the street from their house, the sound of crickets sounding in the distance. She remembered the closer that the full moon got, the more she worried. The mediwitches had never heard of a werewolf getting pregnant so they couldn't console her concerns, and Ron just kept trying to reasure her that she would be fine. But the day that she woke up after her transformation the night before she knew something was wrong, there was a mediwitch there within an hour where they were told that there was no heartbeat and that they had lost the baby. At that moment Ron and her never looked at eachother the same again, they both knew that the dreams each had at becoming parents naturally were shattered. Sobs broke the silence as Lavender put her head in her hands, sobs wracking her body. It was true that her marriage has gotten better since that day 2 years ago, they had worked on communication, had tried to fill the emptiness that was in their hearts but in reality all they did was push the real hurt further back in their minds and faked happiness. It had been about 6 months since the first time Ron brought up adoption. He had returned home from his moms home when he sat down at the table and informed her that he would like to talk. She could remember so clearly the look of hope that had returned to his eyes and she looked concerned, as he took her hand and opened up the idea of adopting another witches and wizards child she could remember so clearly how she had pulled back, looked away and walked out. She couldn't even bear the thought of giving up on the idea of them having their own kid, she hadn't even found a way to get through the pain of losing their child that was made with pure love. She also remembered coming home an hour later to find a husband, devestated and sitting in front of the fire with a bottle of fire whiskey. Lavender took in a deep breath to calm herself, before she returned to her feet and turned back towards her home. She knew that they needed to fix this, and she wouldn't be able to fix it out here.

Ron found himself in the kitchen looking through the ice chest, trying to find something in order to fill his growling stomach. Lavender and him had started fighting before they had a chance to get food and he was starving. He finally reached in and pulled out the makings of a sandwich and turned to place it on the counter when he heard the front door open. Placing the food back in the ice chest and rushed to the front door to see Lavander shivering, without a jacket and red rimmed eyes. He quickly gathered her into his arms and brought her closer to the fire to help warm her up. He knew that their fight wasn't over, that they still had many fights or arguments or even disagreements before they were to find a solution, but he loved this woman and he would always take care of her.

Lavender sighed as she laid her head on Rons shoulder

"I am sorry for storming out, I just needed to get some air"

Ron squeezed her shoulder as he placed a quick kiss on her forehead

"No, I am sorry. This is hard on you too, and I am being insensitive"

Both of them sat in silence, watching the flames crackle. They both knew that this peace wouldn't last but both would agree that they wanted to find a compromise and find a way to keep this peace.


	3. Chapter 2

Harry stood in front of the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, this was the first time he was returning to the school that had so many different memories in his mind. He had avoided visiting the school since he left because of all the guilt he felt after so many people had died for him in the battle of hogwarts. He knew he needed to go visit Hermione, but he struggled taking that first step towards the school, feeling his hands start to tremble. He heard a crack, the sound that sounded when someone apparated nearby, and he turned to see who had joined him to find the one and only Ginny Potter. His eyes brightened up at the sight of his beautiful wife.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he rushed over to her side

The red headed witch smiled at her wizard, she knew that he would be struggling with this visit to their school She could read the distress written all over his face, even when he tried to hide it. He never liked to burden his friends or loved ones with his feelings and always tried to face things on his own. She shook her head as she grasped her husbands hands and squeezed them reassuringly.

"I knew this would be a difficult visit with you, and I thought I would come for some moral support. If at any point you feel comfortable, I can leave. I just want to show you some support."

His green eyes glittered as he looked in the eyes of his wife, he knew that he was a lucky man.

He turned away from his wife and looked back towards the gates that he was looking at only moments before, but this time he had more confidence to be able to walk towards the school.

He grasped her hand as they made their first steps past the gate and made their way towards the castle that left so many people in awe when they first come across it their first year. Harry started to reminisce about that first day, how excited but nervous he was to be able to finally be free from the dursleys home and to make friends that dudley wouldn't be able to influence. He remembers the first time he laid eyes on the castle, the lights sparkling in the dark and the dark outline against the star filled sky being so intimidating. He was such a young boy, exploring such a new world that he never knew even exisisted until that fateful birthday when Hagrid came bursting through the door to tell him "Your a wizard Harry!". Harry smiled at the memory as he opened the front doors of Hogwarts and walked in, he knew that Hermione worked as the Transfiguration professor so the first place he would think to check would be her office or classroom where she would no doubt be pouring over a book. Sure enough, he found his curly haired friend looking through a thick book, taking notes every once in awhile. Harry cleared his throat, announcing his presence in the room.

Hermiones head shot up, a look of surprise washed across her face until she realized who it was that was in her classroom. At the realization that it was her best friend, more like a brother, she jumped up and rushed over to him. "Harry! What are you doing here?!" Once she reached him she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug that made it hard for him to breath. After a few seconds she pulled away and looked at him, a bright smile on her face before she took a step back. Harry smiled, how he missed seeing her ever since she had taken her place as Transfiguration professor she was always so busy, but he was glad that she had finally found a career that she loved and that put her brains to work.

"I needed to speak with you, about Ron. I am concerned about him." Harrys smile faltered and a frown appeared. At this Hermione seemed to finally notice Ginny, and she also pulled her into a hug. She knew that all the Weasleys were worried about the youngest brother, the loss of their unborn child and their news about not being able to have children had really hit hard and they all knew how much their marriage had suffered after that.

"Well, I am going to go." Ginny stated before she took a step back "I just wanted to make sure Harry was ok making it into that castle"

Hermione gasped at her ignorance "I am so sorry Harry, I hadn't realized that this was your first time visiting the castle since..." She stopped mid sentence as she saw the sadness overtake Harry's eyes, she then turned her attention back to the red head that stood next to her best friend "Thank you so much Ginny, he is so lucky to have you" She smiled as she waved her good-bye, returning back to her desk to allow the two to say their good byes.

"I am not sure what to do 'Mione"

Hermione looked back up and made eye contact with the black haired man in front of her. She struggled herself with how to help Ronald in his time of need. "I was hoping that they would be able to work this through themselves, but all I see these days are how unhappy they are." Hermione returned her eyes to the book that she had been studying, she closed the book with a sigh. She would have to return to her lesson planning at a later time. She stood and crossed the room towards her friend. "Would you like to go for a walk? Its been awhile since you have been here and I am sure you would like to see the grounds"

Harry nodded slowly before he slid his arm through Hermiones elbow. They walked out of her classroom and made their way out of the castle to start their walk around the black lake. As they exited the castle the sunlight warmed up their shoulders and they both smiled slightly as they felt the cool breeze. Hermione saw Hagrids small hut to her right and the memories of her and the two boys she grew up with going down to visit him whenever they needed some time away from what was happening in the castle. Harry's voice brought Hermione back to the present, reminding her of how they had grown and the issue that had brought them to where they walked today.

"So, any ideas on how to help Ron?" Harry squeezed her arm slightly, noticing the spacy look on his best friends face.

Hermione frowned slightly as her focus returned toward the black lake. She knew how Ron could get, she remembered all of the times where he would get upset and would hold on it. She remembered the struggle to help him through the loss of Fred, and this was just another loss he had to deal with but a much different loss.

"I am not entirely sure how to help him Harry. I know that he has brought up adoption to Laveneder, but she refuses to even give it a chance or to even think about it. I know that there is a way for them to become parents, but it won't be the organic way, but that wouldn't make them any less a parent. She just refuses and I don't now how to help Ron, because I know this isn't something he could live with happily, he has always wanted a large family like he grew up in." Hermione shrugged as she looked around at the trees they passed on their travels around the lake. "I know that in the muggle world, there is other options rather than immediate adoption, but I am not sure what the options are here in the magical world."

Harry looked over at his friend, he had done some research into the options in the wizarding world and there was an option for fostering a child before making the decision to adopt. This was something he was planning on bringing up to Hermione on their walk, but as he was about to mention it they saw a familiar black haired wizard walking towards the castle and they both immediately stopped in their tracks. They hadn't seen him since that dreadful day, and neither could believe that it was actually him. He walked into the castle and disappeared from sight. Harry looked over at Hermione and noticied that her mouth kept opening and closing, unable to find anything to say, she was indeed speach less. Harry knew that if he was going into the castle he had to be meeting with the headmistress and it would be some time before they could get an answer to he motioned for them to continue their walk.

Harry cleared his throat after a few minutes of walking in silence, his intention was to return back to the conversation that they were having prior to being distracted but Hermione beat him to it.

"What do you think he was doing? Why is he here?"

Harry knew that this was going to ocme up, she was the only one of the three that kept looking for their dour professor after he had left without a trace. She had indeed moved on, found a career and didn't seem to mention it to them as much as she used to, but Harry knew that she didn't just give up. He shrugged as he pulled her closer to his side, the breeze getting cooler and noticing her slight shiver as it went across her bare arms. "I am not sure, but I am sure he is meeting with Minerva, and we can go in and speak with her when we return to the castle."

Hermione seemed to accept that answer and returned her attention to the lake, returning to her silence.

"You know, there is a fostering program, much like the muggle program, in the wizarding world. It isn't very well known, because many witches and wizards choose to immediately adopt, and it is mainly used for children who are hard to place due to horrors in their past, it is used to be sort of a try out session."

A smile returned to Hermiones face, and he knew that she immediately liked that idea and he returned her smile, they might of actually found a way to help their friend. They turned to return back to the castle, with the sun slowly making its way past the tree line of the forbidden forest they knew that it would only get colder and neither was prepared.

Minerva sat at the desk in the circle office of the headmaster, now headmistress as she had taken the position after the war. She sighed as she finished making the timetables for the students for the first term of the year and looked up towards the paintings of the previous head masters that had sat in her spot at one point. One in particular caught her eye, all the others were snoozing in their paintings but this one, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon specticles as he smiled at her.

"What do you think he wants? It seems to me that he has wanted to be away from the wizarding world, and now all of a sudden he wants to return? Interesting isn't it?" He said with a chuckle. But before Minerva could answer there was a knock at the door and she knew exactly who it was, and that said person wouldn't take nicely to being asked to wait.

She stood and approached the large oak door that lead to the hallways of the castle and opened up the door. "Good evening, Severus. Come in" The dour potions master had a slight smile on his pale face as he walked past and made his way towards the chair that was placed in front of her desk. He had asked for their meeting, he had spent the last 4 years in the muggle world, trying to escape the tragedy that he had faced since the loss of Lily to James Potter.

"I must ask, do you have any Firewhiskey? The travel here was long and I need something to take the edge off." His deep voice resonating off the walls of the office and Minerva smiled, he hadn't seemed to change much. She went over to her drink cart and poured firewhiskey into two cups and offered one to Severus before she returned to her desk and sat down, placing her small hands in front of her as she examined the man that sat in front of her.

"How have you been?" She watched as he thought about this question, he never was good with figuring out his emotions.

"I have been good Minerva" He smiled, he wouldn't ever admit it but he truly missed the witch that sat in front of him, their rivalry always kept him on his toes and he could always appreciate that. "I have enjoyed the freedom these last 4 years have awarded me, but I do believe it is my time to return. When I saw that Slughorn is putting in for retirement, I felt that maybe I could return to my post. I am after all much... " He paused in the maner that only Severus Snape could get away with. "better, although Slughorn is competent in his teaching, he did after all teach me" Severus smirked.

Minerva could only shake her head as she smiled, he truly had not changed during his hiatus but she did see bits of the old Severus, the one who didn't have as much baggage on his shoulders wearing him down, and she was happy to see that his hiatus seemed to do him good. "It would be an honor to have you back Severus, you have been missed walking through these halls"

Severus nodded, smirked and rose from his chair. "I will collect my items and return in 2 days time. I assume that my chambers will be cleared and ready for my arrival?" With Minervas nod, he turned and walked out of her office. Minerva took a drink of her firewhiskey as she leaned back in her chair, she had worried about how she would fill the potions position before school started again, but she was thankful to have a competent postions master taking his place. She finished her drink and collected Severus' empty glass and as she was about to take them back to her drink tray to clean she heard a knock on her door.


	4. Chapter 3

Hermione stood in front of the headmistress' office, Harry Potter stood next to her. They had watched as Severus Snape had left her office and walked right past them without much of a look. This, however, did not surprise either of them, he never was one to show any sort of emotion apart from anger, frusteration or his favoritism towards Slytherin house. This did nothing to help in their curiousity of why he was there and what he had spoken with the headmistress for. The door opened and Minerva stood in front of the two, and with a sigh she ushered them into her office.

Once they had settled into the chairs that were placed in front of her large mahogony desk they both started speaking in unison.

"What was he doing here?"

"We haven't heard from him for 4 years, and then he just walks into the castle and then leaves as if he was never here?!" Hermione sounded exasperated, Harry knew that she had been looking for Severus ever since he had left on the night of the battle of hogwarts and she wasn't able to even find a hint of where he would be. He couldn't imagine how she felt, even though they both know the man didn't owe any of them an explanation of where he was and they weren't likely to receive one.

Minerva ran a hand through her thick hair and she took another sip of her firewhiskey as she examined the two previous students that sat before her. She wasn't surprised to see them at the door after Severus had left, and she knew that she would have to have this discussion with the brunette witch at some point.

"He wishes to return to his post here at the castle. He heard that Slughorn wishes to retire and was seeking a replacement and knew he would be the best person for the position." Hermione nodded as she processed this information, Minerva knew this wasn't going to be as easy as an acknowledgement, the brightest witch of her time would no doubt have multiple questions, although most of these questions she knew she would have no answer for her.

"Where has he been? Why did he leave?" Hermione almost looked angry, how could he just up and leave when they had returned to try and ensure he was laid to rest with respect that he deserved, and then had the gall to return with no words to them as he walked by them. She knew that he had seen them, because she had made eye contact with him as he walked by. Her fists slightly clenched as this crossed her memory

"I am not sure where he has been, all I know is that he needed some time by himself to sort everything out. You must understand that he thought he would have died in the war, that he wouldn't need to figure out where his life would be leading afterwards." Minerva shot Hermione a look, knowing she was about to interupt her. "I know that he was the one who ultimately saved himself, considering he is a potions master and was able to come up with an anti venom potion, but he also realized the likelihood of said potion working was very slim so he wasn't expecting to walk away from that attack. I have known Severus for a long time, he was after all once my student as well as coworker and friend, and I feel that he spent much time in the muggle world where he was granted the ability to evaluate where he wanted to be, what he wanted to be, without anyone recognizing him. I expect both of you to respect his privacy, if he wants to share with you he will."

Both the witch and wizard sighed resigned and nodded. They knew they couldn't pressure Severus to give them informatin anyways, and pestering him wouldn't help any and would likely make things worse. They rose from their seats and turned towards the door to leave, but Minerva stopped them.

"Hermione, he will be returning to the castle in a week to get reestablished in his quarters, office and classroom. I expect you to not pester him, even if it is an attempt to welcome him back. I would like him to be given some space atleast until he gets settled" Hermione nodded and then they walked out of the office and stood in the hallway, trying to digest all of the information that was just laid on them. Severus Snape was back, returned to Hogwarts as the Potions Professor once again. The thought of it only made Hermione smile. She felt that some things in this world couldn't change and Hogwarts wasn't the same without the dour wizard terrorizing the hallways and taking points away from Gryffindor. This was going to be a fun year, she could just feel it in her bones!

Hermione awoke the next morning with a much different, brighter, mindset that she had for the past four years, she couldn't exactly explain why finding where Severus Snape had disappeared off to was so important. She rose from her bed with the expectations of getting a shower in before she made her way to breakfast like she did every morning, when the sound of an owl pecking at her window made her stop in her tracks. When she opened the window to allow the owl access to her chambers, it flew right in and settled itself on her desk that she had in her bedroom and put its foot out, allowing her to take the letter from its foot. Hermione gave a treat to the owl and watched as it flew out the window and made its way up to the owlry. She returned her attention to the letter in her hands and opened it up to find it was from Harry.

Hermione,

We got a little distracted yesterday, but I wanted to see when a good time would be for us to meet with Ron and bring up our fostering idea. I know that this would help tremendously with his marriage and I know after everything we all have been through we all deserve to be happy! Owl me with a time and I will set it up, I am thinking we could have him over to our place for dinner sometime.

Harry Potter

Hermione smiled, it would be nice to be able to help her best friend find the happiness that his marriage had been lacking the last year since Lavender lost the baby. She sat at her desk and wrote to Harry, letting him know that she would be available the following night for dinner. School wasn't set to start for another 2 weeks and she had plenty of time to get her classes set up before that.

The great hall was as it always was during summer holiday, the tables where the students sat were pushed to the side, this allowed a larger table to be placed in the middle for the teachers who remained at the castle to have meals together, allowing for them to converse with eachother and be able to look at one another as they did so. Today, however, there was one extra person at the table for lunch, however this close to the start of term all the teachers would already be at the castle getting their lesson plans ready. Severus Snape sat next to the only empty chair, leaving Hermione to sit down next to him. Minerva caught her eye as she passed, making her way towards her seat with her plate full of food. The chair made a noise as she pulled it back in order to sit down and Severus made eye contact with her before returning his attention towards the food on his own plate which appeared to be almost empty.

"Now since everyone is here I can now share the big news!" Minerva stood before them, each professor clearly confused as to what the extra person was doing at the table. "As many of you know, Professor Slughorn has been looking to retire and we of course need someone to take his spot, last night I received a surprise visit from Severus, who requested to return to his post as potions master and professor and I have agreed."

Harry Potter had worked hard to clear Severus' name after the war had concluded, and while many witches and wizards had believed him and forgiven or even just overlooked the dour wizards transgressions, there were still others that struggled believing him that a death eater could truly switch sides, especially since he was responsible for the death of the beloved Albus Dumbledore. Because of this, it wasn't a surprise when a few professors scoffed at this news.

Minerva sent a glare to the few professors that had expressed their distaste "I expect all of you to be respectful to him. I wouldn't be allowing him to return to this castle if I wasn't fully confident in his innocence."

With that being said, Minerva returned to her seat and brought her fork to her mouth and continued eating her food in silence.

"How are you feeling Pro- Severus?" Hermione asked as she too focused on the food that was on her plate.

"I am doing fine Ms. Granger" Severus huffed as he put his fork down on his empty plate "I hope you are well as well, but I must take my leave. There are a few things that I must attend to before I officially return to the castle for the new term." He nodded as he stood from his chair and turned towards the exit and left.


	5. Chapter 4

Hermione awoke with a start, She had fallen asleep late with concerns of her meeting with Ron and Lavender the next evening. These worries played with her dreams after she did finally fall asleep which ultimately lead to her waking up when it was still dark and her bedside clock read 2:00am. She rolled onto her back to face the ceiling of her room with a sigh, how was she going to be able to survive this day with only 2 hours of sleep, her only hope is that eventually she would be able to fall back to sleep. When her bedside clock read 3:00 she finally accepted that sleep wasn't going to be greeting her and so she decided to get out of bed. She threw a robe over her sleep clothes and made her way towards her kitchenette where she could make a cup of tea for her to enjoy while she curled up in her favorite chair to read a book, she was in the middle of boiling some water when she looked out the window that faced the black lake when she noticed the black form of a man walking towards the lake beside the tree line. Upon closer look she found that it was Severus Snape, which lead her to turn off the now boiling water and slip on some shoes. She quickly found herself also heading towards the black lake, not knowing what she was going to say when she did come upon the brooding professor but she felt that he needed to have some company even if he didn't think he did and so she proceeded to approach the man who was now standing there overlooking the black water.

"It is awfully early for you to be out here " She could sense the slight snear in his voice which caused her to stop short.

"I found that I couldn't sleep sir, I noticed you out here when I was making some tea"

"And why may I ask are you not up in your rooms enjoying your tea and leaving me to my own peace?"

Hermione snorted as she finally took to standing next to the professor that she had once feared in her years as his student. She glanced at the man who was in turn watching her, his black eyes catching her brown ones before they returned to the black lake they were once looking across.

"I felt you could use some company, you have always seemed to be so.. alone and I can't imagine what it would be have been like to have been in your position."

Snape cleared his throat, effectively interrupting her. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I enjoy being alone?"

Hermione just stood there looking over the black lake, she never expected him to be any different of the man she had spent 6 years learning from, so his response didn't surprise her in the least. Her hands found the pockets of her robes as she found a stump that she could sit on and take in the beginnings of dawn approaching, the once black sky starting to lighten up with the rising of the sun.

"Well I don't feel it is right to leave you out here alone and refuse to just return to my rooms with you out here" Hermione finally stated after a few minutes of silence to which Snape only let out a snort in response.

They sat there, her on the stump and him standing right in front of her. Neither would admit that they enjoyed each others company, but they both stayed beside the lake until the sun had brightened the earth and they realized that it would be time to get ready to begin their days and retreated back to the castle and to their own respective rooms, where they thought about what had transpired that morning.

Hermione found herself in her office later in the morning preparing her lesson plans for the school year that was just around the corner. Her desk was facing the door that lead into her classroom, where Crookshanks was asleep on his bed just slightly towards the right of the door where he was able to enter and exit as he so pleased. There were multiple bookshelves where Hermione kept a part of her book collection that she had gained in the years that she attended Hogwarts and the years after the war, the bookshelves were situated around the room and to the left of her desk there was a few arm chairs with a small table where one could place a steaming cup of tea while reading a book or even grading some papers. This was probably one of Hermiones favorite places to spend her days, it seemed to have everything she needed in order to enjoy her life at Hogwarts. While she enjoyed spending her days socializing with her fellow professors and getting to know her students she also enjoyed spending some time to herself where she could lose herself in a book.

There was a ding that sounded that alerted Hermione that her water was boiling and ready to pour into a mug for a glass of tea which made her smile. She could use a break from prep and read a little before it was time to return to the great hall for lunch with her fellow professors. Once she poured herself a cup of tea she picked up her current book, which ironically was a book on potions, and settled into her brown chair setting her tea down on the table, still too hot in order to drink so she left it to cool while she opened up her book where it spoke about potions that counteracted venom which caused her to snort. Before long she was completely involved into her book and didn't realize just how much time had passed until she heard a knock on her door, bringing her back to the present. Placing her book down beside her now cold tea, she rose from her comfortable chair with a look of confusion on her face, she hadn't been expecting anyone until that evening when Harry was planning on meeting her there before they made their way to his home for their dinner with Ron.

Opening the door Hermione was surprised to see Harry standing before her

"Harry! You are awfully early aren't you?"

At this statement Harry looked confused at his best friend before walking in when she stepped aside to allow him entry. "I am here at the time we previously agreed upon! Ron and Lavender will be at my house within the hour" After looking at his best friend he stated "Why aren't you ready?"

Hermione looked down at her teaching robes before looking at the clock that was on her wall, noticing that Harry was right and the day had already past. She must have gotten lost in her reading and allowed the day to pass by her, her growling stomach reminding her just how hungry she truly was. "I am sorry Harry! Give me a minute to get ready I was just reading and the time must of slipped by!" She stated as she rushed into her bedroom, leaving a bewildered Harry in her sitting room.

Harry looked over to see a cold cup of tea and a book on her table beside her chair. Walking over he noticed the book that she had been reading and after he noticed the name he couldn't help the eye roll that came quick after. She had always had a weird obsession with the potions master after the war and the interest in potions was only caused by that, she was always good in potions class but it wasn't one of her favorite subjects and wasn't anywhere near a past time when they were in school. He chuckled at the memory of her frustration and worry when they couldn't find the dour professor. The sound of the door opening alerted Harry that his best friend was finally ready to make their way to his home for their dinner with the Weasley couple. He offered his arm which she took and they headed out of her rooms and into the halls of Hogwarts.


	6. Chapter 5

Ron Weasley sat at his kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet, ever since the end of the war there had been nothing but gossip in the wizarding newspaper. Ron threw the paper away as he got up and walked into the kitchen where his wife, Lavender, was preparing dessert. They were due to arrive at Harry and Ginny's home in the next 10 minutes and while they planned on feeding the couple, Lavender insisted they provide something which explained why his wife was slaving over a banana foster cake. Ron smiled as he watched his wife brush a hand over her forehead, the cake looked complete but Lavender was a perfectionist.

"Hun, you should really go upstairs and get ready. The cake looks delicious and I am sure it tastes just as good as it looks, but Harry is expecting us in 10 minutes." He smiled as she looked over her shoulder and sighed.

"Your right, could you put it in its case while I get ready?" She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek as she exited the room "I better not see any finger marks in that cake" She yelled as she headed upstairs, causing Ron to chuckle as he licked the frosting from his finger.

Harry walked in the door with Hermione right by his side, the smell of good food wafting from the kitchen causing his stomach to growl. Ginny popped her head out at the sound of the door opening.

"Thank goodness you are home! They are set to arrive at any moment and I need help setting the table".

Harry chuckled as he turned toward their formal living room where they were planning on having dinner. 4 set ups were sitting on the table ready to be laid out.

"You know Ginny sounds more and more like Molly the older she gets" Harry whispered to Hermione as he began to lay the plates out, Hermione following behind with the silverware.

Hermione laughed as her eyes looked towards the kitchen, she knew that Molly's temper would appear if Ginny had heard that. Ginny was very much the mother hen like her mother, but she never liked to be compared to her. "How did you want to approach this with Ron and Lavender? I know that this is a sore subject, especially for Lavender, and I don't want to hurt any feelings. I just want to provide them with other options to help add to their family"

Harry nodded as he started to place the glasses out. "I know, none of us want them to feel bad. I think a straight forward approach is a good option. You are very good at that, and I know you have done your research"

Hermione blushed slightly as she stood back and looked at their work. "Yeah but I don't think that we should bring it up right away. Lets enjoy dinner a little bit." Harry nodded in agreement.

The door bell rang as Ginny walked in with a pitcher full of juice to place on the table.

"Perfect timing!" She exclaimed as she rushed off to answer the door. Harry and Hermione heard the door open and Ginny greeting the guests as she ushered them in and towards the dining room. Ron was the first one to turn the corner and he smiled as he saw his two best friends.

"Hey guys! I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever, it's hard to get used to when we used to spend almost every waking hour together." Ron smiled as he hugged his two best friends before settling himself down at the table. Ron may have grown up but he still had his love for food. Hermione rolled her eyes before turning towards Lavender and pulling her in for a hug

"It's good to see you Lavender. I am glad you and Ron could make it! We need to make this a weekly thing! I miss you guys so much" Hermione smiled as she made her way towards the table and took a seat, Harry following Ginny into the kitchen to bring out the food. They were essentially a family and therefore ate like one, everyone served themselves and treated each others homes like their own.

The meal went off without a hitch, Hermione laughed at the stories Harry would tell about his job, Ron jumping in every once in while with his take on some of the jobs that they worked together. It was nice to see the boys so grown, but still very much the same. They absolutely loved their jobs and she couldn't be happier for them. Slowly the conversation quieted down and this told Hermione that it was time to bring up the reason they were all there. She made eye contact with Harry who nodded before she cleared her throat, successfully getting the attention of everyone else in the room.

"I actually wanted to bring something up with you guys, Lavender and Ron, something that is dear to my heart and I know that is dear to your own." Lavender and Ron looked at each other before giving Hermione their full attention, but Hermione could see the hesitancy in Lavenders eyes, this was always such a sore topic for her. "I wanted to bring up the idea of adoption with you guys."

Lavender went to speak up but Hermione put up her hand, effectively stopping her from interrupting. "I know that this is a sore subject for you Lav, but I want you to look at this with an open mind." Lavender nodded. "I know that you both want to add kids into your family, but doing it naturally isn't possible, so the other option would be for you to adopt. I really want you to think this through, there are many children that were effected by this war that are looking for homes, there are also babies that need homes if you wanted to adopt a baby instead of a young child. You could do so much good in a young persons life just by opening your home to the opportunity of adoption. Look at Teddy for instance! He lost both of his parents in the war, he was lucky enough to have his grandmother and godfather around to raise him and you could be a part of something just as great!"

Harry nodded before adding "Teddy might not be my blood, and I might not have had a kid in the way I had always dreamed of, but I wouldn't trade him for the world and I love that boy like he was my own flesh and blood. You may feel like by adopting, you would struggle to bond with the child, but once you invite that baby into your home and look into their eyes, I know you guys will love that child like your own."

Lavender and Ron looked at each other once Hermione and Harry were done speaking. Hermione could tell that both of them, while still guarded, were letting what they had set in. At this, she stood up, it was time for her to return to Hogwarts, the kids were due to arrive in the next few days and she still had some lesson plans to finalize, she ignored the thought of a certain potions master that flashed quickly in and smiled towards her best friends.

"Well guys, thank you so much for dinner. Unfortunately, lesson plans don't plan themselves!" She laughed as she hugged Ginny who has stood up beside her, and she turned towards Lavender, Ron and Harry. "I was serious about making these a weekly thing! I think Friday evenings would be perfect, end of the week, no classes the next day!"

Lavender, Ron and Harry took their turns hugging Hermione good-bye before she turned on the spot and apparated to the gates right outside of Hogwarts. Looking up at the castle she sighed. "I sure hope they think about what was said today"


End file.
